Praising late prime minister Indira Gandhi, Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that she did not need a reservation to prove her mettle.
Addressing the gathering of women at the inaugural of an exhibition put up by women self-help groups (SHGs), he said ” Indira Gandhi proved her mettle in her party among other dedicated male leaders. Was it due to reservation.”
The minister said that though he is not opposed to reservations for women, he does not believe in caste and reservation politics. “I am not against women’s reservation. Women should get reservation. I am not opposed to it,” he said.
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“A person never excels on the basis of caste, language, religion or sex. One rises on the basis of knowledge. Do we ask religion of Sai Baba, Gajanan Maharaj or Tukadoji Maharaj? Do we ask about the caste of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, or Mahatma Jyotiba Phule? I am against politics of caste and religion,” he added.
He also mentioned BJP women leaders like Sushma Swaraj, Vasundhara Raje and Sumitra Mahajan who are doing well in politics.
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Interestingly, the Cabinet on Monday approved 10% reservation for the economically weaker among the upper castes in government jobs and education, taking the reservation quota from 50 to 60%.